Category: Special Events

This was my first visit to Flabob Airport, and it was a nice surprise to see an old fashioned sleepy local airport nestled in a mostly residential area. Paul Filmer reports from the first Flabob DC-3 Fly-In. The occasion was the first Flabob DC-3 Fly-In, and the organisers had hoped for 20 DC-3s to be in attendance. But reality of maintenance issues plus string winds meant that only 9 turned up, but that’s at least 8 more than you’ll usually find at many airports. It was very people friendly, with food, beer and places to sit in the shade,...

When he first visited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 2012, Paul Filmer landed at a couple of military bases while visiting outlying cities on his adventures, but was emphatically advised to not shoot any military aircraft or personnel, or even raise a camera in their direction. Now he takes his second visit to North Korea to report on a historic event.

Late August saw the Erickson Air Museum at Madras, Oregon, hosting an air-to-air photography workshop. Held over four days, the Madras A2AX allows photographers to learn about the planning and execution of air-to-air photo sessions, whilst working with some rare vintage aircraft. Rob Edgcumbe writes.

Battle of Britain Day 2015 was marked by a gathering of more than 30 Spitfires and Hurricanes at Goodwood racecourse and aerodrome. Elliott Marsh and Huw Hopkins write. Earlier in the year the Boultbee Flight Academy at Goodwood aerodrome, Sussex, announced plans for an ambitious Battle of Britain 75th anniversary commemoration to be held on 15 September 2015. Initial plans called for more than 50 aircraft (amongst them more than 30 Spitfires and eight Hurricanes) to launch from Goodwood on Battle of Britain Day and fly individual paths across key locations in Southern England. The event itself would be open to the public and free of charge, albeit limited to in the region of 30,000 people via an advanced ticket system. Participants had been drawn from far and wide, with aircraft from the UK, USA, Germany and Holland attending, amongst them some unique airframes and aeroplanes rarely seen away from their bases. To my mind, however, the day was never about the specific participants – it was about an overarching commemoration to remember the immense sacrifices of 75 years ago. 15 September 2015 – Battle of Britain Day In the event, aircraft serviceability, incidents and other factors conspired to reduce the overall number considerably but, it’s fair to say, only a churl would complain of a gathering of 25 Spitfires, six Hurricanes and a single Bristol Blenheim! I’d go as far as to question...